Rotary nutating power device



. Feb. 3, 1970 H. KREIMEYER 3,492,974

ROTARY NUTATING POWER DEVICE Filed Jan. 30, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb.3, 1970 H. KREIMEYER 3,

ROTARY NUTATING POWER DEVICE Filed Jan. 30, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 wwwml?Feb. 3, 1970 H. KREIMEYER ROTARY NUTATING POWER DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed Jan. 30, 1968 M/ vqvran Heinrici KIM/MEYER A TTOR/VEY UnitedStates Patent M 3,492,974 ROTARY NUTATING POWER DEVICE HeinrichKreimeyer, Leadville Road, Mansonville, Quebec, Canada Filed Jan. 30,1968, Ser. No. 701,711 Int. Cl. F02]; 53/00, 55/14; F04c 17/00 U.S. Cl.1238 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is an internalcombustion engine or pump with a casing having sinuous walls and apiston with sealing ridges movable within the casing, the shape of thecasing and of the piston cooperating with gearing to impart to thepiston a combined rotating and nutating motion, the connection betweenthe piston and a drive shaft being effected through an off-set bearingarrangement.

This invention relates to a power device, the basic structure of whichmay, as in the case of most devices of this type, be embodied as aninternal combustion engine, a compressor and air motor, a hydraulic pumpor a hydraulic motor.

Power devices including a piston reciprocating in a cylinder have, ofcourse, been known for a long time. More recently, various devices havebeen proposed in which the piston performs a rotary motion within achamber, the peripheral walls of which form expansion chambers incooperation with the piston.

An even more recent development is the use of a piston which performs anutating motion within a chamber.

The present invention seeks to achieve both the high displacement perrevolution characteristics of rotary power devices and the favorablebalance characteristics of nutating type power devices by a combinationof the two principles, namely, by the provision of a piston whichperforms a combined rotating and nutating motion. This motion is similarto that of a coin spun on a fiat surface, shortly before it comes torest.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examplein the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an internal combustion engine accordingto the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the engine;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the piston;

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the piston;

FIGURE 5 is a section along line 55 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a partial section along line 6-6 of FIG- URE 2 on anenlarged scale;

FIGURE 7 is a still further enlarged section on the same plane as FIGURE6 showing a detail, with the drive shaft of the engine removed;

FIGURE 8 is a front view of the piston according to another embodimentof the invention;

FIGURE 9 is a partial front view of the engine according to theembodiment of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a partial longitudinal section of an engine according tostill another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view showing a detail of FIGURE 9;

FIGURES 12, 13, 14 and are schematic views of the engine according tothe embodiment of FIGURES 17 showing various stages in the engine cycle;FIGURE 12 being a side view, FIGURES 13 and 14 top views and FIGURE 15 abottom view;

FIGURE 16 is a partial side elevation of an engine according to afurther embodiment;

3,492,974 Patented Feb. 3, 1970 FIGURE 17 is a schematic side view ofthe engine according to a still further embodiment; and

FIGURE 18 is a side view of a piston common to the embodiments ofFIGURES 16 and 17.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 5, the internal combustion engine according tothe invention comprises a casing 1 formed by two sections 2 and 3 heldtogether by bolts 4 and mounted on a base 5.

The internal periphery of the casing, defined by the two assembledsections 2 and 3, is spherical. Each of the sections 2 and 3 provides aninside wall 6, 7 respectively, which is of sinuous configuration andincludes rounded recesses 8 alternating with rounded projections 9. Inthe embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 7 and 12 to 15, each inside wall of thecasing 1 has two such recesses 8 and two such projections 9.

A piston 10 is mounted inside the casing to form, in cooperationtherewith, the expansion chambers required by the engine. The piston 10has a spherical periphery 11 matching the spherical inside periphery ofthe casing 1. The piston 10 further comprises two faces 12 and 13 onopposite sides thereof, each face having a plurality of sealing ridges14 alternating with rounded cavities 15. The faces 12 and 13 of thepiston cooperate respectively with the inside walls 6 and 7 of thecasing 1.

In the first embodiment, each face 12 and 13 of the piston 10 has threeridges 14 and three cavities 15. The cavities 15 must be of sufficientdepth to clear the projections 9 as the piston 10 moves within thecasing 1.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, the ridges 14 of one face are aligned with thecavities 15 of the opposite face while in the casing, the projections 9of one inside casing wall 6 face the projections 9 of the oppositeinside casing wall 7 and similarly the recesses 8 of one casing wall 6face the corresponding recesses of the opposite casing wall 7.

The piston 10 comprises a central partial hollow sphere 16 concentricwith its spherical periphery 11 which is journalled in a sphericalcentral bearing cavity 17 formed by the two sections 2 and 3 of thecasing 1. The central bearing cavity 17 is concentric with the insidespherical periphery of the casing 1.

A drive shaft 18 is journalled in the casing on ball bearings 19 securedto each section 2 and 3. The shaft 18 traverses the spherical bearingcavity 17 and the sphere 16 and projects outside the casing 1 on eitherside thereof.

The shaft 18 has mounted thereon inside the bearing cavity 17 onopposite sides a pair of off-set frusto conical members 20 and 21supporting the inner races 22 and 23 of tapered roller bearings 24 and25, the outer races 26 and 27 of which are attached to the centralsphere 16 of the piston 10.

The bearings 24 and 25 are coaxial and have their apices at the centerpoint common to the casing 1 and to the piston 10.

A pair of stationary gears 28, 29 are afiixed by means of screws 30 tothe casing sections 2 and 3 respectively within the bearing cavity 17 onopposite sides thereof. The stationary gears 28 and 29 are coaxial withthe drive shaft 18 which extends through them.

A pair of ring gears 3.1 and 32 is formed within the periphery of thecentral sphere 16 of the piston. The ring gears 31 and 32 are disposedon opposite sides of the sphere 16 and are coaxial with the piston 10.

The ring gears 31 and 32 mesh respectively with the stationary gears 28and 29 and perform thereon a combined nutating and planetary motion.

The ridges 14 of the piston 10 are provided with seal bars (not shown)as commonly used in rotary engines, which continuously engage the walls6 and 7 of the inside of the casing.

A fuel mixture intake port 33 and an exhaust port 34 are provided foreach section 2 and 3 of the casing 1 opening into the interior of thecasing through the side walls thereof. Two spark plugs 35 are similarlyprovided, one on each side of the casing 1. The spark plugs 35 arelocated at the crest of facing projections 9 of the inside walls 6 and 7of the casing while the intake and exhaust ports 33 and 34 are on eitherside of the other facing projections 9, the intake port leading theexhaust port in the direction of rotation of the piston 10.

In operation, the ring gears 31 and 32, due to their nutating planetarymotion, impart to the piston 10 a rotating and nutating motion which isidentical to the motion which the piston 10 is forced to follow due tothe shape of the inside casing Walls 6 and 7. The design of the gears28-31 and 29-32 will, of course, be correlated with the design of thecasing walls 6 and 7 in such a way that the locus of the sealing ridges14 of the piston 10 as determined by the gears, will coincide with thesinuous configuration of the corresponding inside casing walls 6 and 7.

As can be seen in FIGURES 12 to 14, the piston 10 in its movement withinthe casing 1 cooperates with the casing to form chambers whichalternately expand and contract. By the aforementioned positioning theintake and exhaust ports 33 and 34 and the spark plugs 35, the expansionchambers can be filled with fuel mixture while they are expanding, canbe closed off during the subsequent contraction to provide compressionof the fuel mixture, the compressed mixture can then be fired by thespark plugs to provide a combustion stage during the next expansion andthe spent gases can then be exhausted during the next contraction so asto provide the known four-stage cycle.

Alternatively, the inlet and outlet ports and the spark plugs may bearranged (in an obvious manner not illustrated herein) so as to providea two-cycle operation, namely, intake and compression during one chambercontraction and the combustion and exhaust during the subsequent chamberexpansion.

Some of the stages of the engine cycle are shown in FIGURES 12 to 15.The arrows in the figures indicate the direction of rotation of thepiston 10.

It will be recalled that FIGURE 12 is a side view, FIGURES 13 and 14 aretop views and FIGURE 15 is a bottom view.

The chambers are designated sequentially around the piston 10 on eitherside thereof by references A to F which indicate the same chambers inthe four figures in relation to the cavities 15 of the piston 10.

In FIGURE 12, chamber A is past the end of the exhaust stage and at thebeginning of the intake stage, chamber B is part-way through the intakestage while chamber F is part-way through the exhaust stage. In FIGURE13, the sealing ridge 14 of chamber A is ust moving past the intake port33 and the chamber A is therefore at the end of the intake stage and atthe beginning of the compression stage. Chamber B is part-way throughthe compression stage while chamber F is partway through the intakestage. Chamber E is near the end of the exhaust stage and at thebeginning of the intake stage, these two stages overlapping slightly.Chamber C 1s part-way through the combustion stage.

In FIGURE 14, the chamber A has now reached the end of the compressionstage and the beginning of the combustion stage. Chamber F is part-waythrough the compression stage. Chamber D is past the end of the exhauststage and at the beginning of the intake stage. Chamber E is part-waythrough the intake stage.

In FIGURE 15, chamber A is at the end of the combustion stage and at thebeginning of the exhaust stage. Chamber B is part-way through theexhaust stage. Chamber F is part-way through the combustion stage andchamber E is at the end of the intake stage and at the beginning of thecompression stage.

The nutating component of the motion of the piston 10 is applied throughbearings 24 and 25 to the shaft 18 which, therefore, in the presentembodiment, will turn through 360 while the piston 10 turns through Thenumber of cavities on one face of the piston 10 will preferably exceedby 1 the number of recesses of one casing inside wall. The engine,however, is not limited to having three cavities on one piston face andtwo recesses on the adjacent wall. Thus, for example, in the embodimentof FIGURES 8 and 9, each face of the piston 10' has five cavities 15alternating with five sealing ridges 14 while each wall on the inside ofthe casing 11.- has four recesses 8 and four projections 9'. In thisembodiment, the piston will rotate through 72 for each full revolutionof the shaft 18'.

The number of intake and exhaust ports 33' and 34' and of spark plugs35' is doubled. A spark plug 35' is located at the crest of eachalternate projection 9' and the intake and exhaust ports 33 and 34 arelocated partway down the sides of the alternate projections 9' on eitherside thereof, the intake port 33 leading the exhaust port 34 in thedirection of rotation of the piston 10'.

This arrangement of intake and exhaust ports and spark plugs which isthe same as in FIGURE 1, will apply to internal combustion engineshaving any chosen number of cavities on one piston face greater by onethan the number of projections on one casing Wall.

FIGURES 17 and 18 show an inverted arrangement with respect to the firstembodiment. In this case, the ridges 14" of the two faces 12" and 13" ofthe piston 10 are aligned with each other While in the casing, eachprojection 9 of one casing wall 6 or 7 faces a recess 8" on the oppositecasing wall 7 or 6. The phasing of the cycles of the various chamberswill therefore be different in this embodiment, but the operation isotherwise essentially the same and need not be detailed herein. In theembodiment of FIGURES 17 and 18, the piston 10" has on each face thereofseven sealing ridges 14 and seven cavities 15" while the correspondingcasing wall has six projections 9" and six recesses 8".

It will have been noted that in each of the three embodiments so fardescribed, the number of recesses and the number of projections of eachcasing wall is an even number. This is necessary for the four-stagecycle to provide the required alternation of spark plugs and intake andexhaust ports on the consecutive projections 9, 9' or 9". In two-cycleengines, however, or for other applications such as pumps, an odd numberof recesses and corresponding projections may come under consideration.

In the embodiments so far described, all the surfaces of the pistonfaces such as 12 and 13 and of the casing walls such as 6 and 7 lie onradii of the spheres defining the peripheries of the piston and of theinside of the casing. This geometrical relationship, however, is notessential. A deviation therefrom is illustrated in the embodiment ofFIGURES 10 and 11 wherein the surfaces of the casing 1a and piston 10aas indicated by references 6a, 7a, 12a and 13a, are not disposed alongthe radii of the spherical peripheries thereof. The only essentiallimitation is that the casing walls 6a and 7a must, as above described,be shaped to coincide with the loci of the piston ridges as determinedby the gears 31a and 32a meshing respectively with the stationary gears28a and 29a.

The embodiment of FIGURES 10 and 11 illustrates an alternativearrangement of the connection between the piston 10a and the shaft 18a.In this embodiment, the piston 10a is journalled between the internalspherical periphery of the casing 1a and the external sphericalperiphery of the stationary gears 28a and 29a. Suitable sealing strips36 are provided on the journal faces of the piston a.

The shaft 18a has at the center a ball 37 concentric with the casing 1a.The ball 37 carries an off-set circular plate 38 intersecting the centerthereof and extending into an annular channel 39 of the piston 10awhich, for this purpose, is made in two sections as shown. The channel39 and the plate 38 have, on the contiguous side portions thereof onboth sides of the plate 38, grooves 40 in which bearing balls 41 aremounted.

As in the first embodiment, the nutating component of the motion ofpiston 10a is applied to the offset bearing constituted, in this case,by the disc 38 so as to rotate the shaft 18a.

Two or more pistons may be coupled in series on the same shaft. Theintermediate sections 42 of the casing are illustrated in FIGURE 16.Suitably coordinated end sections (not shown) will of course beprovided.

When the power device is used as a pump or the like the spark plugs willbe omitted and the ports (such as 33 and 34) will be used as fluidinlets and outlets. These and other required modifications areconsidered to be matters of skill.

It will be understood that various modifications of the aforedescribedembodiments may be made within the scope of the invention. For instance,the spark plugs 35 (FIG. 1) could be provided on the spherical portionof the periphery adjacent their presently shown location. Also, thesealing ridges 14 could be curved or other than straight, as shown. Forease in assembly, piston 10 could be made of two parts. Finally, thecentral sphere could be made with a cylindrical bore inclined relativeto shaft 18 and the latter provided with a cylindrical member likewiseinclined relative to the shaft axis to rotate in said here.

I claim:

1. A power device comprising:

(a) a casing having a spherical inside periphery and opposite insidewalls of sinuous configuration forming a series of alternating recessesand projections evenly distributed thereon;

(b) a piston in said casing having a spherical periphery matching thatof the casing and opposite faces having a series of sealing ridgesalternating with cavities so as to form with the inside walls of saidcasing a plurality of expansion chambers;

(c) gearing means within said casing for imparting to said piston arotating and nutating motion causing the sealing ridges of said pistonto follow the sinuous configuration of the inside Walls of said casing;

(d) a drive shaft journalled in said casing and coaxial therewith; and

(c) means operatively connecting said piston to said drive shaft.

2. A power device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means foroperatively connecting said piston to said drive shaft comprises anoff-set bearing mounted on said drive shaft on an axis intersection thecenter point of said casing, said piston being journalled on saidbearing.

3. A power device as defined in claim 1, wherein said means foroperatively connecting said piston to said drive shaft comprises off-setconical bearings mounted on said shaft on opposite sides of the centerpoint of said casing, said bearings being coaxial and having theirapices at the center point of said casing, said piston being journalledon said bearings.

4. A power device as defined in claim 1, wherein said means foroperatively connecting said piston to said drive shaft comprises anoff-set circular bearing plate mounted on said drive shaft andintersecting the center point of said casing, said piston beingjournalled on said bearing plate.

5. A power device as defined in claim 1, wherein said casing furthercomprises a spherical central bearing cavity and wherein said gearingmeans comprise:

(a) a pair of stationary gears affixed to said casing within saidbearing cavity on opposite sides thereof and coaxial with said casing;

(b) a pair of ring gears on said piston coaxial with said piston,meshing with said stationary gears and performing thereon nutatingplanetary motion, thereby imparting to said piston a rotating andnutating motion and causing the locus of said piston ridges to coincidewith the sinuous configuration of the corresponding inside casing walls.

6. A power device as defied in claim 1, further comprising:

(a) an intake port and an exhaust port disposed along the sides of eachalternate projection of said casing walls, said intake port leading saidexhaust port in the direction of rotation of said piston; and

(b) spark plugs at the crest of each other alternate projection of saidcasing wall.

7. A power device according to claim 1, wherein the recesses of onecasing wall face the recesses of the opposite casing wall and the ridgesof one piston face are aligned with the cavities of the opposite pistonface.

8. A power device according to claim 1, wherein the projections of onecasing wall face the recesses of the opposite casing wall and the ridgesof one piston face are aligned with the ridges of the opposite pistonface.

9. A power device according to claim 1, wherein said piston has on eachface thereof a number of ridges greater by one than the number ofprojections on each casing wall.

10. A power device according to claim 2, wherein said bearing is conicaland has its apex at the center point of said casing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,675 10/1900 Jaeger 123-85683,406 9/1901 Jaeger 12385 1,912,634 6/1933 Gray 123--85 2,069,6462/1937 Cohen 12385 FOREIGN PATENTS 427,541 5/1911 France. 805,37012/1958 Great Britain.

C. J. HUSAR, Primary Examiner Us. or. X.R. 91-77; 103-433; 23o -14s

